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INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

The stories on the AP newswire are the result of the efforts of countless people: reporters, photographers, video journalists, editors, support staff, translators—the list goes on.

AP is committed to providing comprehensive, original, authoritative news from around the world. Our reporters are on hand whenever major stories are breaking—sometimes at great risk to themselves—and they’re also relied on to cover news at a local level; for instance, AP has a reporter in every statehouse in the U.S.

This level of journalism is expensive. The AP, which is a not-for-profit cooperative, invests hundreds of millions of dollars every year in newsgathering and distribution. Revenue from licensing this content, across formats (including digital), is our main source of funding.

When a user licenses content from AP, it obtains permission to use that content in a specific way. Thousands of organizations across the world license AP content for legitimate use in their businesses, understanding the value inherent in this content and the investment that went into its production.

When use is made of AP content without authorization, it undermines AP's ability to support its news operations. AP, like any other content creator, must protect its intellectual property rights against unauthorized exploitation. Protecting our journalists’ work from misuse and illegal use is of primary importance to the organization, and we are working to develop new ways to ensure our rights.

Copyright Infringment

In a victory for AP, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York ruled in AP’s favor in a copyright infringement suit against Meltwater News. The British Supreme Court has decided partially in favor of news-clipping service Meltwater in its long-running dispute with UK newspaper publishers.Learn more

Protecting Original Newsgathering

Since its founding in 1846, The Associated Press has been at the forefront of the news industry on issues like freedom of the press, the public’s right to know, intellectual property rights and journalistic ethics and practices.Learn more

Obama 'HOPE' poster artist gets probation

Shepard Fairey, the artist who created the "HOPE" poster that came to symbolize Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign was sentenced to two years of probation and 300 hours of community service.Learn more

The value AP brings to members

President and CEO Gary Pruitt addresses members at the 2013 Annual Meeting.